President Milanović at International Roma Day: Insist on children education, it’s the path to self-respect and force
“The current problem of the Roma, the problem which the Roma face – where the Croatian state can and should help – is education. Education does not have to be a doctorate and isn’t, it’s for the very few, for those who wish to be involved in science. Schools, primary school and secondary school education – is something on which you must insist and persevere”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović stated today at the main celebration held in observance of International Roma Day in the National and University Library in Zagreb.
Underscoring the importance of education for the Roma in Croatia, President Milanović recalled his visit eighteen years ago to a small Roma community in Međimurje where he noticed that the village is full of children at a time when they should be in school. “In general the children weren’t in school. I hope that when I will visit such a community again – in the morning, when the country will have one-shift schooling – I will find an empty community because the children will be in school”, President Milanović noted, underlining that it is “the solution and the way to self-respect and force, especially for little Roma girls”.
“Emancipation, force and upbringing of girls in a Roma community is a very important issue. When progress will be made in this area it will be a different world, there will be less prejudice. It won’t disappear, it’s all around us”, he added. Furthermore, talking about prejudices – that exist in the case of the Roma – he said they exist in every society and aren’t always evil in themselves. “They are a basis for caution towards things that are sold are new, revolutionary and as things that will change the world”, he remarked, and warned that one has to be careful when it comes to prejudices.
“Be careful with that. One should always keep in mind that the banality of evil lurking in an ordinary person can explode as early as tomorrow. Especially today, in the conditions of a world conflict that perhaps can’t literally be called one, but one with which we have been living for one year now is a world war. No one threw down the gauntlet but all the elements to react are present. We have to be careful not to get burned. We have to build and preserve the community we created, an inclusive one, where members of minorities have their place, self-respect, the money they earned and that we can say that Croatia is the homeland of the Roma and all other people who live here, and that we can be proud of it”, President Milanović noted in concluding his address.
International Roma Day is observed on 8 April. It was officially declared in 1990 in the town of Serock, Poland, site of the International Romani Union’s 4th World Romani Congress, in memory of the first major international meeting of Roma representatives held 7-12 April 1971 in Chelsfield near London. The congress reached a decision about the Roma anthem Gelem, Gelem (in Romani I went, I went) and a second one about their flag. The first congress of the Roma in London resulted in the proclamation of the official Romani language (Romani Chiba) and the official name of “Rom”, which means person in the Romani language.
Also speaking at the main celebration of Romani culture and awareness of issues faced by the Roma besides President Milanović were the President of the Croatian Romani Union “Kali Sara“ Suzana Krčmar, Member of the Croatian Parliament Veljko Kajtazi, President of the International Romani Union Normunds Rudevičs, Deputy Mayor of Zagreb Luka Korlaet, Deputy Prime Minister and delegate of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Anja Šimpraga and Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament and delegate of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament academician Željko Reiner. Plaques honouring 15 years of activity of the Croatian Romani Union “Kali Sara“ were presented including one to the President of the Republic.
Alongside President Milanović was the Adviser to the President for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan